Vail: The King of Colorado Skiing

Adventure Travel: Ski Vail, Colorado (Corbis)

Let's face it. For alpinists, size matters, which is why the crown of Colorado skiing rests firmly atop Vail resort, endowed with the United States' largest skiable mountain. But size is not Vail's only attraction. In addition to its 33 lifts, 193 trails, 3,450-foot drop, 5,289 skiable acres (not counting the backcountry accessible from the slopes), and its three sister resorts (Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, and Bachelor Gulch), Vail also has the very best in services, ski schools, and après-ski distractions. After 40 years as the undisputed skiing king of Colorado, Vail knows what to do, and it takes pride in doing it as well as possible.

Beginners and intermediates should be encouraged by the presence of 1,500 instructors servicing the resort. Long, easy-going runs populate the front face of the mountain, and Adventure Ridge will make a snow-addict out of all children new to skis or snowboards. For the more advanced, Vail's Back Bowls beckons: Envision six full miles of pristine powder, stretching east to west for a full 2,700 skiable acres, weaving through trees and tapping the backcountry of the Rockies. The resort's latest expert-level attraction, the Blue Sky Basin, will offer respite should the Back Bowls prove too familiar or crowded. Simply hop on one of the three high-speed lifts to the Basin and delve into 645 acres of rugged and remote terrain. And, should you seek even more extreme-powder purity, thousands of off-piste slopes are accessible via many of the main resort runs, including such Colorado classics as Mongolia and Game Creek Bowls. Snowboarders will also find themselves in welcoming territory; a special map shows where to find the best in free-riding and freestyle action, and the now-requisite half-pipes and terrain parks are top notch.

For those needing a break from the piste, alternate activities include tubing, thrill-sledding, ski-bike tours, snowmobile tours, snowshoe tours, laser tag, and of course, the spas, the restaurants, and the shopping. The resort does pull crowds, especially on the weekends, so a little forward planning is well-advised. Some lift-ticket packages also allow access via bus to Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, and Bachelor, where you'll find the same sick conditions, but with smaller crowds. Package lift tickets in conjunction with other area resorts are also available. Hop from Vail to Keystone, Arapahoe Basin to Breckenridge, then back again for a full sample of every possible version of the Colorado Rocky Mountain experience.